Spending time in the great outdoors is among the most popular fair weather leisure time activities. Quite often, cooking and eating a meal is made part of the outdoor activity. Whether it is a family gathering, a picnic, or just having a cookout, a great deal of time is spent around a barbeque grill. One (1) of the most common tools used while grilling is a pair of grilling tongs. Such tongs allow for placement, turning, and removal of almost any food item from the grill with a large amount of control and accuracy.
There are many examples of grilling tongs and similar gripping cooking utensils. These tongs generally include a pair of opposing jaws which open and close in relation to each other by way of a spring or a scissor type hinge mechanism for gripping food items and manipulating their placement or position.
Unfortunately, most of these tongs are fairly short in length and lack a convenient way to customize their size. This is especially problematic on very large grills where food items may be placed well beyond normal reach. As such, many people find their hands too close to the flame and heat and risk burns or singeing of the hair on their arms and hands. While some tongs are made to be longer, they present additional difficulty and inconvenience when being stored in a cabinet or drawer.